Establish successful MAP governance

Lauren Kincke, Oracle practice manager at The Pedowitz Group, says setting up an efficient governance process can keep your marketing automation program running smoothly

Whether you implemented marketing automation a week ago, a year ago or a decade ago, you know it is easy to fall into the same routines. Build, execute, wash, rinse and repeat. It is even easier to continue along in that vein indefinitely, until one day your system is full of the ghosts of marketing users past and suddenly you can no longer distinguish fact from fiction.

The cornerstone for a successful long-term relationship with your marketing automation platform is governance. It isn’t sexy or fun because no one loves rules (well some of us do, but that’s the OCD talking). That said, setting up governance guard rails keeps the system from veering off track and crashing.

Use these three basic keys to unlock an efficient and effective governance process for your marketing automation program (MAP).

1. Think how, not who

Your system will have many different user types, which we’ll cover in a minute. User roles define what that user type can do in the system, but every user should start from the same place.

Your company needs a training program that trains all stakeholders to use the MAP the same way. It may be simply a “how to” on creating campaigns, emails, landing pages, forms, etc. or a more in depth “this is how and why our company does things this way” form of training. Regardless some basics are key to ensure everyone approaches the system from the same stance.

All of the major players in the MAP space provide some kind of training to get you up and running. Take advantage of it and ensure new users do as well. Beyond the training you should document how your company uses your tools. The players in the space haven’t changed drastically over time but I’ve seen many companies use the same tools in very different ways. Without documentation you cannot ensure your end users understand how your instance of MAP differs from what they previously used. Documentation should include:

  • What templates are used for what in the system

  • What your company’s naming convention is

  • An understanding of how the application interacts with or is integrated with other systems (e.g. your CRM)

Training and documentation ensure continuity and consistency, which means everyone does the same things the same way.

2. Nail down permissions and security

Earlier I mentioned that you want people to have the proper access based upon their role. This is something you may need to understand prior to selecting a MAP. If your organization has complex security requirements, you may need a vendor who provides detailed security permissions and customization. Then again, you may not. Regardless of your specific needs, you will want to understand:

  • What type of users your organization has

  • What type of goals they have within the MAP and provide them access accordingly

Nothing is scarier than finding out that someone didn’t understand what they were doing and didn’t need access to do what they did, but did it anyway.

3. Forge partnerships

I know you’re reading this line thinking, “I don’t need an agency.” I’m not suggesting you do. I am suggesting you partner with other teams inside your company who own data, systems and processes that may impact your MAP. Whether this is IT, sales operations, sales or some other team entirely, the key to a successfully functioning MAP is clear partnerships inside the organization who can help you get to the right data at the right time. Organizations that are tightly aligned are more successful. Simply put, when everyone is marching together towards the same goal they are predictably more likely to succeed.

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